Good morning! The weekend edition is 779 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Peace talks fail between Ukraine and Russia

• 10,000 rescues and counting

• Happiest cities in 2025

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Today’s Big Story

GOP Tax Rebellion

President Trump's sweeping tax bill suffered a setback today when hardline Republicans blocked it in the House Budget Committee.

• Five Republicans joined all 16 Democrats in voting against advancing the measure. The rebelling Republicans, including members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, are demanding deeper cuts to Medicaid and full repeal of green energy tax cuts before they'll support the bill.

• The bill, dubbed "One Big Beautiful Bill," would make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent and fulfill campaign promises by eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. It would also create new tax breaks for car buyers and seniors, and raise the child tax credit to $2,500. However, it would add trillions to the national debt while cutting healthcare for millions.

• Even if House Republicans resolve their internal disputes, Senate Republicans are already expressing skepticism. Some criticized the strategy of combining multiple agenda items into a single massive bill rather than separate pieces of legislation.

• The budget standoff coincided with Moody's downgrading the US credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, citing the government's growing debt burden and rising interest costs. Moody's said that "successive US administrations and Congress have failed to agree on deficit reduction measures." The US deficit is already $1.05 trillion this fiscal year., 13% higher than last year.

• The downgrade signals diminished confidence in America's fiscal management, potentially increasing borrowing costs for the government and taxpayers.

Saturday’s Quick Hits

• Russia and Ukraine agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each – the largest exchange since the war began – but made no progress on ending the conflict during brief two-hour talks in Istanbul on Friday. The diplomatic gathering was the first face-to-face meeting between the warring nations since April 2022. President Trump said no real progress would happen without direct involvement from him and Putin. (More)

• The WNBA's 29th season tipped off last night with unprecedented anticipation driven by stars Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese. Their teams meet today in the first of five matchups. The defending champion Liberty, former champions Aces, runner-up Lynx, and the Indiana Fever are favored contenders. The Golden State Valkyries are debuting the season, the first expansion team since 2008. The league also beefed up its schedule to 44 games. (More)

• New Jersey Transit engineers from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen began striking at midnight Friday over pay disputes, crippling the nation's third-largest transit system used by 350,000 people. Governor Murphy and NJ Transit President Kolluri want a fair settlement but won't offer preferential terms that would trigger similar demands from other unions, potentially costing hundreds of millions. (More)

• Two climbers died on Mount Everest this week: Indian Subrata Ghosh perished just below the summit on Thursday, while Filipino Philipp Santiago died at Camp 4 on Wednesday. Both bodies remain on the mountain as retrieval is extremely difficult and costly. Hundreds of climbers are currently attempting Everest during May's favorable weather window. (More)

• Hadi Matar received 25 years in prison for stabbing author Salman Rushdie at a 2022 literary event in upstate New York. The attack left Rushdie critically injured and blind in one eye. Matar was motivated by a decades-old Iranian edict to kill Rushdie for his novel, The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims believe blasphemous. (More)

• Louisiana authorities are hunting 10 inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail Friday morning, including convicted murderer Derrick Groves. One fugitive was captured after a foot chase through the French Quarter. Investigators believe they escaped through a cell opening into a maintenance corridor. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• Ambrealle Brown received a life-saving kidney donation from her mother. Shortly after she recovered, they graduated from the Baton Rouge General nursing school together. (More)

• Before his death, Pope Francis donated his final €200,000 to a juvenile prison's pasta factory in Rome. He'd supported this project throughout his papacy, helping inmates build skills for successful reintegration into society. (More)

• A Dutch nursing home gives students free rent in exchange for spending time with seniors. This clever solution tackles both student housing shortages and elderly loneliness (More)

• 90-year-old Barby Keel has rescued 10,000 animals during her 54 years running a UK sanctuary. It began with one soldier's dog and now houses over 600 animals, with volunteers helping care for them all. (More)

Extra Credit

Ranking the happiest cities in 2025.

Watch a “fog tsunami” roll over Lake Michigan.

Plan a trip to the most affordable US travel destinations this summer.

…or eat your way through Rome in two days.